Wednesday, May 30, 2012

"That trip—with its pilgrimages to landmarks and great art, and exploratory meanderings through the avenues and bars of Montparnasse, the Latin Quarter, and other locales favored by writers Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce, Anais Nin, and Henry Miller—does not unfurl in Lune de Miel in the frenzied swirl of action one typically associates with travel. Instead, Nawrocki’s poems are filled with detail that is evocative and almost holy..."

Monday, May 28, 2012

Amy and I taught ourselves to take close-up food photos last year, in pursuit of A History of Connecticut Food. We had a few minor setbacks, one of which you can see above. But every mistake is a lesson, and it taught us the importance of perspective in food photography!

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Amy and I gave a presentation for the Bridgeport Contemporary Club at the Brooklawn Country Club in Fairfield last week. It was a wonderful experience telling them about Connecticut wine, a wonderful meal, and a wonderful group of people.

Monday, May 14, 2012

This is the new ad campaign for Connecticut. It's a great thing that Governor Malloy and the state have decided to start promoting tourism here again. I couldn't be happier. However, I'm seeing a lot of mixed reactions to the ad campaign. What do you think? Good? Bad? Both? I think they could have removed "Still," and just made it "Revolutionary." However, that's nitpicking.

Friday, May 11, 2012

On my way to a friend’s apartment, I walked the New York City sidewalks with
a full backpack pressing my feet into the concrete. Block after block, across
each rush-hour street. Restaurants and vendors beckoned, but I ignored them. I
strode past busy women in long trenchcoats and sleepy-eyed hipsters. Turning
left on 13th street, I reached my destination on the corner of 2nd Avenue:
Momofuku Ssam Bar. No one stood in line at the Milk Bar “take-out” section of
the restaurant, and I put down the pack and ordered two pork buns. Three minutes
later, I squirted generous helpings of Sriracha onto the tender pork belly
cradled in the pillowy bun, and bit into one of the best things I’ve ever
tasted...

Monday, May 7, 2012

Here are ginger cookies from an old recipe that we tried out. It was not the one we ended up using for A History of Connecticut Food, but another, less molasses-rich recipe. Once people started finding cane sugar more readily available, they used molasses less in cookies and other sweets. However, I tend to think that in some cases, that switch is a huge mistake. Molasses and ginger go so well together - why mess with perfection?

Friday, May 4, 2012

Earlier this week I had the pleasure of appearing on Larry Rifkin's radio show on WATR in Waterbury - the "Talk of the Town."

Larry's program is a political talk show, for the most part, but he said it was a nice change for him and his listeners to talk about how great Connecticut is, and how many wonderful places are here to visit.

I've pointed the direction of this travel blog toward life in Connecticut: its history and its food, its culture and its lifestyle. Join me as I explore the myth of home, something too often lost in our nomadic world.

About Me

I am a travel and history writer, and Director of Creative Writing at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut. I write fiction, travel stories, reviews, history shorts, and essays, which have been published in a wide variety of journals and magazines, from the International Henry Miller Journal to Antiques Trader.
My books Bridgeport: Tales From the Park City, Hamden: Tales from the Sleeping Giant, A History of Connecticut Wine, Literary Connecticut, and A History of Connecticut Food are available from The History Press. The Insiders Guide to Connecticut, has been published by the Globe Pequot Press, and Afoot in Connecticut: Journeys in Natural History was published in Spring 2013 by Homebound Publications. My full-length biography, Becoming Tom Thumb: Charles Stratton, P.T. Barnum, and the Dawn of American Celebrity, was published in Fall 2013 by Wesleyan University Press. My two latest books are Homegrown Terror: Benedict Arnold and Burning of New London and a collection of short stories called The Foundation of Summer.